Light books to take with you on the train, subway or bus

By: Tamanna Gera

Commuting to university takes up a huge chunk of the day. Waking up early, getting out of the house in time to catch your train and then waiting — sometimes hours — to get to class can certainly take a toll. By grabbing a book to read you can get lost in the millions of different stories this world has. Here are five book recommendations to help you get started.  

1. Everyone on the train is a suspect by Benjamin Stevenson 

It’s a casual train ride on an ordinary day (like the one you might be on right now reading this) when four strangers find themselves in the middle of a murder investigation as a passenger is found dead. As they gather together to dig through past clues and find out who killed the passenger, they uncover more dark secrets and twists along the way; secrets everyone is hiding. They all have a reason to murder the passenger, the question is, who was it?

A fun and thrilling murder mystery for you to put on your detective hats and get lost in a world of crime-solving.

2. Wave by Sonali Deraniyagla 

On Dec. 26, 2004, a powerful tsunami struck the eastern coast of India setting off waves that severely impacted coastal areas across the Indian Ocean. Sonali Deraniyagla was on vacation with her family when this disaster hit, separating her from her family and the life she knew before. A powerful and raw memoir of her journey to keep her family alive and survive a tragedy that changed the outcome and the life she knew forever. 

A national bestseller memoir about preservation, hope and a journey of survival.

3. Fake Flame by Adele Buck

Eve Campbell has had enough of her ex’s melodramatics. After hauling a piano onto campus to serenade a song she hates, she hits her limit and sets the piano ablaze. Then she meets Sean Hanningan, a noble firefighter who offers to be her fake boyfriend to lure her ex away. Despite the phony relationship, Eve begins to fall for him, drawn to his kindness and sense of humour. When it starts to turn real, it leaves Eve with a question, is she ready to to risk it and fall in love again? 

A light rom-com read keeps readers anticipating and excited at this fiery love story. 

4. Home Body by Rupi Kaur

Rupi Kaur takes readers on a beautiful journey of self-reflection, healing, self-growth and trauma through a collection of poetry. The poems touch upon the reader’s soul, making them embrace their thoughts and journeys of overcoming difficult moments or periods in their lives through personal stories incremented through the world of poetry.

A self-reflective read.

5. Days at the Morisaki Bookshop : A Novel by Satoshi Yagisawa

Twenty-five-year-old Takakos’s life has been going well until the man she expected to marry announces he’s been cheating and falls into a state of depression losing everything she’s worked for. Then, she gets a call from her uncle Satoru, asking her to help him out at his bookstore in exchange for a place to stay. It’s there that she develops a passion for Japanese literature and begins to find herself with a new sense of belonging. Healing from the past and starting a new chapter of her life, falling into love all over again while discovering who she is.

A light, gentle and heartwarming read about overcoming the darkest periods of the times in your life.

You can find these at your local bookstore or order them online. Happy reading!